Pope John Paul II on Catholic Action (from Ecclesia in Oceania)

Pope John Paul II on Catholic Action (from Ecclesia in Oceania)

From John Paul II's letter to the Church in our region: 'Ecclesia in Oceania', November 2001.

It is vital that the Church insert herself fully into culture and from within bring about the process of purification and transformation (16).

It is certain that commitment to social justice and peace is an integral part of the Church's mission in the world; The Church's social teaching needs to be taught and implemented still more effectively in Oceania (26).

In the more secularised and affluent societies of Oceania, the right to life is the one most under threat. There is a profound contradiction in this, for these are often societies which speak insistently about human rights, while denying the most basic right of all (30).

It is the fundamental call of lay people to renew the temporal order in all its many elements. In this way, the Church becomes the yeast that leavens the entire loaf of the temporal order (43).

The Christian concept of marriage and the family is being opposed by a new secular, pragmatic and individualistic outlook which has gained standing in the area of legislation(45).